Consumer debt judgments rising

The non-profit organisation collects judgment information from jurisdictions across the British Isles and Ireland and it has calculated that 5,066 judgments were registered against consumers in Scotland during the first three months of 2016, marking a five per cent increase on the same period last year.

In Scotland the Registry Trust collects information on small claims and summary causes, and ordinary cause decrees. A judgment is incontrovertible proof of unmanaged debt.

Introducing the statistics, Registry Trust chairman Malcolm Hurlston CBE said: “The five percent increase compared with the first quarter of last year is not significant in itself. More significant is the reversal of the benign trend. We shall need to watch carefully what happens in the second quarter.”

Registry Trust received 8,062 requests to search the register for Scotland, the bulk of which were made online at www.trustonline.org.uk.

TrustOnline allows anyone to search for judgments and similar information registered against businesses and consumers in any jurisdiction across the British Isles and Ireland.

“It is a unique benefit for consumers to be able to check the debt record of any person or business with which they may be transacting,” said Mr Hurlston. “Negative information would certainly make me think twice.”